--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But at three, four, five, and even six…" description: "\"But at three, four, five, and even six years the childish nature will require sports; now is the time to get rid of self-will in him, punishing him, bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/plato-103_children_but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-year_2454306.jpg" --- # But at three, four, five, and even six years the childish… ![“But at three, four, five, and even six years the childish nature will require sports; now is the time to get rid of self-will in him, punishing him, but not so as to disgrace him.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/plato-103_children_but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-year_2454306.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/plato-103_children_but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-year_2454306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/plato-103_children_but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-year_2454306.jpg) > “But at three, four, five, and even six years the childish nature will require sports; now is the time to get rid of self-will in him, punishing him, but not so as to disgrace him.” [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children need structured play and discipline, but punishment must preserve dignity. **In simple terms:** Kids require sports and guidance, yet punishment should be respectful. Key Takeaway Guide children with firm yet respectful discipline. Themes education parenting discipline Mood thoughtful instructive Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - sports coaching - parental guidance - school curricula Key Concepts development morality self‑will Questions to Reflect On - How can discipline be both firm and kind? - What activities foster healthy self‑will? A Different Perspective Excessive punishment can harm self‑esteem. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Childish Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childish-nature-596915/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Disgrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgrace/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Now Is The Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now-is-the-time/) [Punishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishing/) [Punishing Disgrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishing-disgrace-596914/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Punishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-punishing-596912/) [Self will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-will/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Childish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-childish-596913/) ## Related quotes > [Marijuana is self-punishing. It makes you acutely sensitive, and in this world, what worse punishment could there be?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/marijuana-is-self-punishing-it-makes-you-acutely-sensitive-and-in/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [In the last few years everything I'd done up to sixty or so has seemed very childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/in-the-last-few-years-everything-i-d-done-up-to-sixty-or-so-has/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [“Never grow old gracefully. Hang on to your childish nature and fight tooth and nail to the very last laugh. You won’t get another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-george-richards/never-grow-old-gracefully-hang-on-to-your-childish-nature-and-fight/) [David George Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-george-richards/) > [So, the tendency of our childish nature is to take small things too seriously and get easily offended, whereas when we are confronted with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/so-the-tendency-of-our-childish-nature-is-to-take-small-things-too/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I bid you conquer in your warfare against your four great enemies, the world, the devil, the flesh, and above all, that obstinate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-william-hare/i-bid-you-conquer-in-your-warfare-against-your-four-great-enemies-the/) [Augustus William Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-william-hare/) > [False liberty is also a reason that people fabricate doctrines that say that you don't need to suffer. One such doctrine is the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-oscar-smith/false-liberty-is-also-a-reason-that-people-fabricate-doctrines-that/) [Johan Oscar Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-oscar-smith/) > [Happiness is your True Nature. Within you is Unimaginable Beauty. Your True Self is Bright and Shining this Moment. Through the clear Realization of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/happiness-is-your-true-nature-within-you-is-unimaginable-beauty-your/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [It is not action or effort that we must surrender; it is self-will, and this is terribly difficult. You must do your best constantly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eknath-easwaran/it-is-not-action-or-effort-that-we-must-surrender-it-is-self-will-and/) [Eknath Easwaran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eknath-easwaran/) > [You can then further enhance the process of writing by forming the clear intention that your Higher Self will influence your writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-then-further-enhance-the-process-of-writing-by-forming-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Brokenness is the shattering of my self-will - the absolute surrender of my will to the will of God. It is saying “Yes, Lord!”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/brokenness-is-the-shattering-of-my-self-will-the-absolute-surrender/) [Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/) > [We tend to think that refusing to exalt Christ is staying true to our self-will and personal freedom when really we are condemning ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/we-tend-to-think-that-refusing-to-exalt-christ-is-staying-true-to-our/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [All women are brought up from the very earliest years in the belief that their ideal of character is the very opposite to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/all-women-are-brought-up-from-the-very-earliest-years-in-the-belief/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [If we divested ourselves, once and for all, of all self-will, we would then be in a position of being sure of doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/if-we-divested-ourselves-once-and-for-all-of-all-self-will-we-would/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [When you are dealing with a serious compulsion or addictive pattern, then by definition self-will, self-discipline, and any other machinations of the conscious mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-serious-compulsion-or-addictive-pattern/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [If you give your Self a chance, your Self will give you all the chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/if-you-give-your-self-a-chance-your-self-will-give-you-all-the-chances/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) ## More by Plato > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You may be sure, dear Crito, that inaccurate language is not only in itself a mistake: it implants evil in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-may-be-sure-dear-crito-that-inaccurate-language-is-not-only-in/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-men-learn-this-it-will-implant-forgetfulness-in-their-souls-they/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-as-nobody-may-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“The love of man to woman is a thing common and of course, and at first partakes more of instinct and passion than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-love-of-man-to-woman-is-a-thing-common-and-of-course-and-at-first/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“He was a wise man who invented God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-was-a-wise-man-who-invented-god/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [For let me tell you, that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-let-me-tell-you-that-the-more-the-pleasures-of-the-body-fade-away/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“What shall we say about those spectators, then, who can see a plurality of beautiful things, but not beauty itself, and who are incapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-shall-we-say-about-those-spectators-then-who-can-see-a-plurality/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so that nobody will believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-that-nobody-will-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We must, if we are to be consistent, and if we re to have a real pedigree herd, mate the best of our men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-must-if-we-are-to-be-consistent-and-if-we-re-to-have-a-real/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) [Explore all 1,278 Plato quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But at three, four, five, and even six years the childish nature will require sports; now is the time to get rid of self-will in him, punishing him, but not so as to disgrace him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-years-the-childish-nature-will/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-years-the-childish-nature-will/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/plato-103_children_but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-year_2454306.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/plato-103_children_but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-year_2454306.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f83/plato-103_children_but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-year_2454306.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But at three, four, five, and even six years the childish nature will require sports; now is the time to get…” — Plato", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Plato", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But at three, four, five, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-years-the-childish-nature-will/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-at-three-four-five-and-even-six-years-the-childish-nature-will/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```